Get Involved !

1
Get Involved !

• Protection and Advocacy Inc.
• Margaret Jakobson
• Managing Attorney

2
What is important to you?

• What do you want changed in your community?
• Housing costs?
• Transportation routes?
• More money for minimum wage jobs?
• Something else? What?
• How can you change it?
• By getting involved through civic involvement!

3
What is Civic Involvement ?

• Voting
• Contacting your local officials
• Writing letters to newspaper
• Participating in committees or city/county
  activities
• Speaking out on important issues
• Self Advocacy

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How to vote

• Fill out a registration card
• You can get voter registration cards from the
  Secretary of States office, the county
  registrars office, your regional center,
  Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (PAI) and many
  other places.
• Call your regional center and ask them to help
  you register to vote. If you are not sure if you
  can register, your regional center service
  coordinator can help you figure it out.

5
What Information do I need to Contact a Local
Official?

• Name of mayor or city manager
• San Diego mayor name is name
• Address of mayor or city manager office at City
  Hall
• The City Hall address is? address
• Telephone number of the city mayors office
• The mayors telephone number is? telephone
• City council assist's the mayor or city manager
• The City council member who represents my
  neighborhood is? name
• The city councils telephone number is? telephone
• The city council meets on? day at? time in? place

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Contacting your Local Officials

• Decide who to call
• Contact official by telephone or email
• Make an appointment
• At the appointment
• Thank the person for seeing you
• Explain your issue
• Be specific and respectful
• Tell why the issue is important to the community
  and to you
• Listen carefully to what the person says to you
• Ask the person what they suggest you can do to
  get action on your issue

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What Information do I need to Write a Letter to
the Editor?

• The name of my local newspaper
• San Diego local newspaper is? name
• The address of the local newspaper
• The address of the local newspaper is? address
• The fax number of the local newspaper
• The fax number is? telephone
• The name of the reporter who covers city issues
• His/Her name is? name
• His/Her email address is? email address

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Tips on Writing

• Think strategically
• Know your papers policy
• Keep it short and simple
• Get personal
• Use names
• Get others to support you
• Be persistent
• Follow-up

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Participating in committees or city/county
activities

• Learn how the committee works
• Learn what type of issues they deal with
• Learn how you can put an item on the agenda
• Find out when and where the committee meets

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Self Advocacy

• Be Assertive
• If You Don't Understand, Ask Questions
• Share Information
• Be Prepared
• Keep Records
• Get Help
• Be Willing to Listen

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HYPO 1

• Sue is a client of the San Diego Regional Center
  (SDRC). Sues Aunt Mary heard that SDRC will be
  cutting services to regional center clients for
  supported work programs. Aunt Mary and Sue are
  concerned about these cuts. They know that the
  SDRC Board will be meeting next month to discuss
  the cuts.
• Sue and Aunt Mary want to do something about the
  cuts. What should they do?
• Should they attend the Board meeting and tell the
  Board their concerns?
• Lets role play it.

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HYPO 2

• John lives in Rural Town. There are only 3 main
  buses in town. John has to see his doctor twice a
  month, and he needs to take the bus. The bus John
  takes leaves him a mile and a half from his
  doctors office. John can not find a doctor that
  is closer to his home who specializes in his
  health problem. John wants a bus that will leave
  him off closer to his doctors office. John
  knows other people at his self-advocacy group who
  have the same problem.
• What can John and his self advocacy group do to
  get more bus routes? How can they find out what
  to do?
• John locates a group that works on transportation
  issues. What can he do to become involved?
• Lets role play it.

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The End!